Container seal



May 12, 1964 A. QUIROZ SEAL Filed Aug. 6, 1962 CONTAINER //V VE/V TOR 510%50 Qu/fioz My I United States Patent 3,132,763 CONTAINER SEAL Alfred Qniroz, 910 Addison St., Berkeley 10, Calif. Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 215,171 14 Claims. (Cl. 220-24) This invention relates to means for sealing cans or containers, and is particularly directed to a container seal which permits the container to be opened Without requiring the use of special implements, such as a can opener.

Conventionally, metal cans of the type employed in the packaging of various products such as beer, soup, soft drinks, milk, vegetables, oil, etc., have top and bottom closure walls which are sealed integral portions of the cans. In order to open these cans, a can opener or other implement is required to perforate one of the end closure walls and form a dispensing opening therein, or to sever the entire closure wall from the remainder of the can. Quite frequently one finds that he does not have a suitable opening implement in his possession when it is deired to open such a can. Accordingly it is necessary to tediousiy hunt down an implement before the contents can be dispensed from the can.

It is an object of the present invention to provide seal means for metal cans or other containers of a type which facilitates opening of the container by hand without requirement of a can opener or other special implement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a seal member which is arranged to engage preformed openings in the end wall of a container and form an air tight seal therewith, such seal member being secured to the bead of the container in a substantially rigid, yet hand frangible manner to provide a durable closure which may be opened without the use of special implements.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a seal member of the class described which by virtue of its design effects a rugged, tight seal, yet presents little resistance to its removal.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a seal member of the class described which may be configured to seal relatively large openings for the dispensing of thick substances or substances in bit or piece form, as well as to seal relatively small openings for dispensing beverages and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide seal means of the character described which may be re-used after the container has been opened, thus enabling the container to be resealed if all of its contents have not been removed. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a seal of the class described which is simple and economical in manufacture.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a container and seal in accordance with the present invention prior to its application to the container.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the container with the seal applied thereto.

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the seal blank.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken at line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken at line 55 of FIGURE 4.

. able the seal to be torn from the container.

3,132,763 Patented May 12, 1964- ice FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a modified form of seal blank.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of still another modified form of seal blank.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of yet another modified form of the seal, with which a container may be resealed after having been previously opened.

Referring now to the drawing, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, 11 designates the top portion of a can of generally conventional construction including a cylindrical side wall 12 to the end of which a top closure wall 13 is secured at a marginal head 14. Such a can is filled with the material to be packaged and then the end closure wall 13 is secured to the wall 12 with a rigid air tight seal being established at the bead. In order to dispense the contents of the can it is consequently usually necessary to employ a can opener or other suitable implement to perforate the end wall 13 or sever same from side wall 12.

In accordance with the present invention, however, no such implement is required to open the can. More particularly, the end wall 13 is provided with preformed dispensing and vent openings 16, 17 while a seal member 18 is provided which is arranged for rigid frangible attachment to the can and for sealing engagement with the openings 16, 17. The seal member 18 establishes a rugged'sealed closure for the openings which withstands rough handling and yet the member may be readily torn by hand from the can to open same. To these ends, the seal member generally includes a marginal portion 19 adapted to clampingly engage the bead of whatever shaped container with which the seal is to be employed. In the illustrated embodiment pertaining to a cylindrical can, the marginal portion 19 is of course annular. Were the container of a different marginal configuration, the portion 19 would be conformed thereto. For example, a rectangular marginal portion is employed in the case of a container having a rectangular cross section. The seal member further includes a cross strip 21 extending between opposed positions, preferably diametrically opposed positions, of the marginalportion and adapted to abut the exterior surface of closure wall 13 in bridging relation to openings 16, 17 when the marginal portion is in engagement with the bead. Further to the foregoing, the cross strip is provided with depending plug means 22, 23 adapted to sealingly engage the openings 16, 17 and form an air tight seal therewith. In addition, a tab 24 extends outwardly from the marginal portion 19 in aligned relation to the cross strip 21. Such tab may advantageously be arranged to be turned down over the head to an unobstructing position adjacent the side wall 12. It will be appreciated that by virtue of the substantial securance area alforded by the marginal portion 19, an extremely rigid and rugged attachment of the member to the container is facilitated whereby the plug means 22, 23 are retained in sealed engagement with the openings 16, 17 even during periods of rough handling of the container. However, when the tab 24 is pulled upward, force is initially concentrated at a relatively small area of the marginal portion, as well as along the cross strip to disengage the marginal portion from the bead at a position underlying the tab. Thereafter force is progressively concentrated in the marginal portion at areas of increasing displacement from the tab as the sealing member is torn from the bead. At the same time, the forces acting through the lever arm provided by the cross strip, readily disengage the plug means from the openings.

' Considering now the seal member 18 in greater detail as to preferred structure, the member may be fabricated from a metal, such as aluminum, of a suificient thickness to render the member strong, yet sufficiently thin to en- In practice,

aluminum sheet having a thickness of the order of 0.013 inch thick has proven particularly advantageous in the construction of the seal member. Where the seal mem ber is of metal sheet, marginal portion 19 and tab 24 are preferably crimped over the bead 14, as depicted in FIG- URE- 2, to facilitate the securance of the seal member to the container. More particularly, sheet metal of the foregoing ordcr of thickness is substantially form retaining subsequent to crimping of the marginal portion 19, whereby a rigid, though releasable, joint between the seal member and head is provided. Moreover, where sheet metal is employed, the seal member may be readily manufactured by a stamping process. The cross strip 21 may be depressed with suitably shaped dies at several points to form projecting rims at the underside thereof defining the seal plug means 22, 23 of previous mention.

Numerous refinements in the general structure of the seal member are possible which contribute to the sealing capabilities thereof as well as its adaptibility to ready removal. In this regard, the dispensing opening 16 is preferably triangular while the vent opening 17 is rectangular, and the seal plug means 22, 23 are of conformed configurations. Apices of the triangular opening and plug means are proximally disposed relative to the tab 24. It can be demonstrated that with such disposition of the opening and plug means, a substantially lesser resistance to withdrawal of the plug means is presented upon pulling up the tab than in the case where the apices of the opening and plug means are distally disposed relative to the tab. The dispensing opening 16 andassociated plug means may be disposed to be adjacent the far end of the cross strip 21 relative to the tab 24, as depicted in FIG- URES l3, or adjacent the near end of the strip as depicted for the modified form of FIGURE 7. In both instances the base of the plug means 22 of triangular configuration preferably exceeds the general width of the cross strip. An enlarged portion 26 of the strip is then provided in the region of the plug means, such enlarged portion preferably having edges outwardly spaced from and parallel to the edges of the plug means.

The sealing action of the plug means 22, 23 is enhanced Where they are somewhat resilient and provided with outwardly projecting peripheral ridges 27, 28 adapted to engage the inner face of end wall 13 subsequent to insertion of the plug means into the openings 16, 17. Where the plug means comprise depending thin walled shells as formed by depressions in the cross strip, the plug means are inherently sufficiently resilient to permit passage of the ridges through the openings followed by a resilient expansion to dispose the ridges in engagement with the interior face of the end wall. In addition, pliable gaskets 29, 31 are preferably carried in the peripheral grooves 32,, 33 defined between the ridges 27, 28 and the cross strip to sealably engage the edgesof the openings 16, 17. The gaskets may be variously provided, however same advantageously comprise coatings of suitable plastic sprayed into the grooves 32, 33 in liquid form which when dry are of a pliable rubber like nature.

In FIGURE 8 there is shown a modified embodiment of the invention which provides the advantage of a reusable sealing means and eliminates the need for the afore said gasket 29, 31. In this embodiment the member 18' is preformed from a tough durable plastic material, and the marginal portion 19' is provided with a snap-on groove 35 as depicted in FIGURE 8. The plastic member 18 may thus be readily secured to the container by mounting the groove 35 over the marginal bead 14. The plug means 22, 23 which in this embodiment are formed of plastic, may be sealingly secured within the openings 16, 17 without need for gasket means, since the resiliency of the plastic itself sufiices to form the required seal. In some instances particularly where the material is quite thin and very flexible, a gasket would be desirable. Also, the resilient nature of the plastic enables the member 18 to be reused after the can has been previously opened,

4 and thus any contents left over within the container can be rescaled for later use.

To facilitate the ready gripping of the tab 24. during pulling of same upward to tear the seal member from a container, such tab is preferably scored, as indicated at 34, along a partially closed path originating and terminating at spaced positions on a line parallel to the lower edge of the tab. The score line thus defines a flap which may be selectively pushed out to provide a finger opening in the tab. The normal hearing edge of the opening against the finger, moreover, is atthe fold line of the flap whereby a relatively blunt bearing edge is provided which will not cut the fingers.

In the various embodiments described to this point, the plug means 22 is arranged to seal relatively small dispensing openings 16 suited to the dispensting of thin liquids such as beverages. Where larger dispensing openings 16 are required such as for relatively thick liquids, vegetables, soups, and the like, the openings are advantageously of a configuration which may be likened to a sector of a circle. Where the container is of circular cross section, the sectorial opening is concentrically disposed v with respect to the circular end closure wall of the container. The seal member 18 is then configured as shown in FIGURE 6. The cross strip 21 terminates in a sectorial section 36 which diverges from the center of seal member to merge with the marginal portion 19. A sectorial depression 37 is formed centrally of the section 36 to define a depending sectorial thin walled shell which serves as the plug means 22 for sealing the dispensing opening 16. Aside from the somewhat modified configuration of the seal member in the region of the plug means 22, the embodiment of FIGURE 6 is similar in other respects to the embodiment of FIGURES l5.

It will be appreciated that the marginal portion 19 and the diametrically disposed cross strip 21 serve to define two openings 38 in the member 18 on either side of the cross strip 21 and co-extensive therewith. These openings facilitate the replacement of the member 18' in operative position on the container, inasmuch as the entry and engagement of the sealing plugs in the proper apertures 16 and 17 may be viewed through the openings 38.

What is claimed is:

1. In a container, the combination comprising a rigid container end'wall secured to a container peripheral side wall at a marginalbead, said end wall having preformed dispensing and vent openings therein, and a seal member, said member having a marginal portion conforming to and disposed in releasable clamping engagement with said head, said member further having depending plug means positioned in air-tight sealing engagement with said openings, said seal member having an outwardly extending pull tab.

2. The combination of claim 1, further defined by said seal member having a central strip portion extending between opposed positions of said marginal portion and abutting said end wall, said plug means depending from said strip portion and said tab aligned therewith.

3. The combination of claim 2, further defined by said dispensing opening and the plug means engaging same being triangular, said dispensing opening and plug means engaging same having their apices proximally disposed relative to said tab.

4. In a container, the combination comprising a rigid container end wall secured to a container peripheral side Wall at a marginal bead, said end wall having preformed dispensing and vent openings therein, and a seal member, said member having a marginal portion conforming to and disposed'in releasable clamping engagement with said head and a cross strip portion extending between opposed points of the marginal portion and a tab aligned with the strip portion and projecting outward from the marginal portion, said strip portion abutting said end wall and overlying said openings, said strip portion havingfirst and second depressions defining first and second depending resilient thin-walled plugs in respective sealing engagement with said dispensing and vent openings, said plugs having peripheral ridges engaging the interior face of said end Wall, said marginal portion being releasable from said engagement with said head and said plugs being releasable from said engagement with said openings.

5. The combination of claim 4, further defined by resilient gasket means disposed within the grooves defined between said ridges and the under face of said strip portion, said gasket means sealingly engaging the edges of said openings.

6. The combination of claim 4, further defined by said tab having a score line along a partially closed path originating and terminating at spaced points.

7. In a can, the combination comprising a rigid circular end wall secured to a cylindrical side wall at a marginal bead, said end wall having preformed diametrically aligned dispensing and vent openings therein, and a substantially fiat seal member of relatively thin sheet metal, said member having an annular marginal portion, a cross strip portion between diametrically opposed points of the marginal portion, and a tab aligned with the cross strip portion and extending outwardly from the marginal portion, said marginal portion and tab crimped about said bead, said strip portion abutting said end wall, said strip portion having first and second depressions defining first and second thin walled plugs respectively extending through said dispensing and vent openings, said plugs having peripheral ridges in engagement with the interior face of said end wall, said plugs having coatings of resilient plastic material in the grooves defined between said ridges and said strip portion in sealing engagement with the edges of said openings.

8. The combination of claim 7, further defined by said first plug being disposed at the far end of said strip portion from said plug and said second plug being disposed at the near end of the strip portion, said first plug having a sectorial configuration concentric with reference to said marginal portion, said dispensing and vent openings being respectively disposed and configured to correspond to said first and second plugs.

9. The combination of claim 7, further defined by said first plug being triangular with the apex thereof proximally disposed relative to said tab and said second plug being rectangular, said dispensing and vent openings being respectively disposed and configured to correspond to said first and second plugs.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said first plug is disposed at the far end of said strip portion from said tab and said second plug is disposed at the near end thereof.

11. In a container, the combination comprising container side walls and a rigid end wall secured to said side walls at its marginal edges and having dispensing and vent openings therein, a sealing member having a body portion of relatively flexible material substantially conforming in size and shape to said end wall and having depending plug portions integral with the member in airtight sealing engagement with said openings, marginal portions on said sealing member releasably gripping the container walls at the juncture of said side and end walls, and a tab extending outwardly from the marginal portion of the sealing member and bent angularly in overlapping relation to the side walls of the container.

12. A seal member comprising a blank having a closed marginal portion, a strip portion extending between opposed points of said marginal portion, and a tab projecting outwardly from said marginal portion and aligned with said strip portion, said marginal portion being adapted to clampingly engage a bead of a container, said strip portion having a pair of plug means depending therefrom adapted to sealingly engage preformed openings in an end wall of a container having a bead engaged by said marginal portion.

13. A seal member comprising a thin blank of sheet metal, said blank having an annular marginal portion with a strip portion extending between diametrically opposed points of the marginal portion and a tab aligned with said strip portion projecting outwardly from said marginal portion, said strip portion having first and second depressions therein defining first and second depending shell like I plugs, said plugs having peripheral ridges spaced from said strip portion, said plugs having gasket means in the grooves between said ridges and strip portion.

14. A seal member according to claim 13, wherein said first plug is of triangular configuration With the apex thereof proximally disposed relative to said tab and said second plug is of rectangular configuration.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,946,477 Wathne July 26, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 845,714 France May 22, 1939 461,541 Canada Dec. 6, 1949 

1. IN A CONTAINER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A RIGID CONTAINER END WALL SECURED TO A CONTAINER PERIPHERAL SIDE WALL AT A MARGINAL BEAD, SAID END WALL HAVING PREFORMED DISPENSING AND VENT OPENINGS THEREIN, AND A SEAL MEMBER, SAID MEMBER HAVING A MARGINAL PORTION COMFORMING TO AND DISPOSED IN RELEASABLE CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BEAD, SAID MEMBER FURTHER HAVING DEPENDING PLUG MEANS POSITIONED IN AIR-TIGHT SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OPENINGS, SAID SEAL MEMBER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PULL TAB. 